About

U Jelly? is an online catchphrase used as a shorthand for “you jealous?”, an inflammatory remark typically interpreted as a form of trolling in discussions and comments. Similar in vein to "U MAD, the phrase is typically said in a boastful manner to cause annoyance. On imageboards, the expression is often accompanied by a cartoon character wearing a smirk.

Origin

Outside of the Internet, one early reference to being “jelly,” as in “jealous,” can be found in the 1999 Beatnuts single “Watch Out Now”[1]. The phrase initially gained traction via 4chan[2] imageboards and subsequently spread throughout other discussion forums and hubsites.

Precursor

U MAD? (or “You Mad?”) is a popular catchphrase used by netizens in discussion forums and comment threads to imply that someone (usually the previous poster) is losing temper during the course of an argument. It’s a form of debate tactic that casually dismisses someone’s counterargument, thus further feeding the rage fuel upon the recieving end. Due to the incendiary nature of the phrase, it is also considered a form of trolling.

Spread

One of the earliest discussion examples can be found in a BodyBuilding forum[3] thread dating back to May 2010 and the first Urban Dictionary[4] entry for “U Jelly” was submitted on August 17th, 2010.

Usage

On 4chan, the phrase has been also used as a segue to show off a special possession that others don’t have. You can also check out TrollScience.com[5] to learn more about this meme.